Reunion Dinner and Induction Ceremony being planned for September 16

The Schenectady City School District Athletic Hall of Fame Committee is pleased to announce that 2024 inductees will be James D. Thomas, Jr., Ray Johnson, and Tom Chestnut. A dinner and induction celebration is being planned for Monday, September 16 at The Event Center at Rivers Casino & Resort.  The 2024 celebration will also include a Legacy Tribute honoring the three consecutive State championship cross-country teams from Nott Terrace HS (1956 and 1957) and Mont Pleasant HS (1958).

 About the Inductees

James D. Thomas, Jr. was an extremely valuable player as a junior on the 1998 Schenectady High School State championship basketball team. Schenectady finished 28-1 and he averaged 14 points and 12 rebounds. He was named to the 1998 NYSPHSAA All-Tournament team.  James was a four-year basketball starter at the University of Texas. His sophomore team finished 21-12 and reached the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. He made the NCAA Midwest Regional All-Tournament team.  Texas finished 26-7 when he was a junior and was ranked #3 in the ESPN/USA Today final coaches’ poll.  James led the Big 12 in rebounding and was the 10th leading rebounder in the nation. Texas made its first Final Four appearance (2003) in 56 years.  During his collegiate career he was an All-Big 12 Conference 2nd Team selection and an All-Big 12 Defensive Team selection. He finished his career with 1,149 points & 1,077 rebounds (Texas career rebounding record). He was the second player in UT history to record 1,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds.  He had 28 career double-doubles and 41 career double-figure rebounding games at UT.  Bob Knight once said, “Jim Thomas might be my favorite player in the Big Twelve. He gives it his all every time he goes on the court.”  James was selected as one of the “15 Best Longhorns of All-Time.”  He had brief stints in the NBA with the Trailblazers, Hawks, 76ers and Bulls. He was the 2004-05 National Basketball Development League Rookie of the Year and the 2005-06 CBA Newcomer of the Year.  James had a successful career playing professionally overseas in Italy, Israel, and Turkey.  He coached girls’ basketball at Schenectady High School for two years.  He is a member of the Upstate New York Basketball Hall of Fame.

Ray Johnson was a track standout at Mont Pleasant High School (MPHS), where he also played football and basketball.  He was the Sectional 220-yard champion in both 1971 and 1972.  He also finished second in the Sectional 100-yard dash in 1971. He finished fifth in the 220-yard dash at the 1971 State Meet.  As a senior Ray ran a 9.9 100-yard dash.  He won the 1972 Eddy Meet 440-yard run, setting a new MPHS record (48.4).  He won the 220 and 440 at the Schenectady County Championship Meet.  He set a meet record in winning the 440 (49.6) at the 1972 Sectional Qualifier. He also ran the anchor leg on Mont Pleasant’s record-setting Section II Mile Relay team (3.22.8). Ray was the 1972 State 440-yard champion.  He was undefeated in the 440-yard run as a senior.  He also ran the third fastest 220-yard run on a turn in Section II history (at the time).  Ray received a scholarship to Manhattan College.  As a freshman he ran the quarter mile leg on Manhattan’s Indoor Distance Medley Relay team that set a world record (9:43.7). The record was set in the final event of the 1973 NCAA Indoor Track Championships at Cobo Arena in Detroit and allowed Manhattan’s indoor track team to stun the track world and win the NCAA team title.  Manhattan’s indoor track team also won the 1973 Metropolitan Intercollegiate Track Championship and the 52nd Annual IC4A Indoor Track Championship.  Ray was named an All-American in 1973. His 1973 indoor track team was inducted into the Manhattan College Athletic Hall of Fame.

 Tom Chestnut played basketball and tennis at Linton High School. His 1964 tennis team won the Sectional championship. Tom graduated a year early and attended Princeton where he played basketball for Butch von Breda Kolff and Pete Carril.  Geoff Petrie, a future NBA All-Star, was a teammate.  His 1966-67 Princeton team finished 25-3 and won the Ivy League title. The team finished the year ranked 5th in the country.  It lost to North Carolina in overtime in the NCAA Tournament.  The following year Princeton (20-6) lost the Ivy League title in a playoff game.  His 1968-69 team finished 19-7 and once again won the Ivy League title. Tom had 22 points and 13 rebounds in a game vs. Harvard. Tom was one of the last players cut by the ABA’s Texas Chaparrals (now the San Antonio Spurs).  While playing pro basketball in Europe he led the Dutch League in scoring twice. He also played semi-pro basketball with the Schaefer Brewers.  Tom was president and chief operating officer of the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers from 1990-95.  He was also the chief operating officer of the Philadelphia 76er during the 1995-96 season.  Tom was vice president and general manager of Sports Channel New York. In that position he oversaw production of games involving the Mets, Yankees, Islanders, Devils and Nets. Tom has continued to play basketball, winning five World Championships between 2013 and 2019 in Masters Tournaments in Italy (twice), New Zealand, Finland and the United States.  He is a member of the Upstate New York Basketball Hall of Fame.

 The 2024 Legacy Tribute will honor the cross-country teams from the Schenectady City School District that won three consecutive State championships from 1956 through 1958. The 1956 Nott Terrace team was coached by Athletic Hall of Fame Member Bill Leonard.  The team was led by Phil Spencer, John O’Sullivan and Ray Westendorp.  The three standouts finished in a dead heat for first at the 1956 Class “A” Sectional Cross-Country Championship won by Nott Terrace High School. The team went on to win the State team title at Baldwinsville with Spencer finishing fourth in the Class “A” Intersectionals and O’Sullivan finishing sixth.  Bill Leonard’s 1957 Nott Terrace cross-country team was led by Schenectady Junior Chamber of Commerce Fall Athlete of the Year, John O’Sullivan.  He won the Sectionals and finished second in the NYU Interscholastic Run, Proctor Invitational and Grout Run.  He also finished third at the St. John’s Interscholastic Run. Ray Westendorp finished second in the Sectionals.  The team concluded its season by winning the State title on Long Island where Westendorp finished second and O’Sullivan finished fourth. The 1958 Mont Pleasant cross-country team, coached by Athletic Hall of Fame member Ray Vacca, was led by star Bob Lewkowicz who won the Proctor Run, Grout Run, New York University Interscholastic Cross-Country Meet, and the Fordham Run. Lewkowicz and teammate Tom Farry finished in a dead-heat for first as Mont Pleasant won the Sectional championship.  The team went on to win the State cross-country meet at Colgate.  Lewkowicz finished second and Farry sixth at the State Meet.

2023

2023 Brochure | Photos from the 2023 Dinner and Celebration | 25th Anniversary Program (2023)

Congratulations to 2023 Schenectady City School District Athletic Hall of Fame 2023 inductees John DeMeo, Jim Scott, and Gary Przybylo.   An induction ceremony and dinner was held at the 25th anniversary celebration on Monday, September 11, 2023, at The Event Center at Rivers Casino & Resort. A Legacy Tribute honoring the outstanding 1955-56 Nott Terrace High School basketball team was also featured.

2023 Inductee

John DeMeo was an outstanding four-sport athlete at Mont Pleasant High School.  He was an All-Area running back and the all-time leading scorer in the history of Mont Pleasant football (168 points).  He won two Section II wrestling championships and finished fourth in the 1974 NYSPHSAA Championships.  He was unbeaten in dual meets as a junior and senior.  He was selected as the top scholastic wrestler in Section II as a senior.  He also ran on Mont Pleasant’s 440-yard relay teams that won Eddy Meet championships in 1972 & 1973.  He was a 1974 Class “A” League baseball all-star.  During John’s collegiate career he was a member of SUNY Brockport’s 1977 NCAA Division III wrestling championship team.  Individually, he qualified for the 1977 NCAA Tournament.  He was a two-time Greco-Roman All-American wrestler.  He also qualified for the 1976 Olympic Final Trials (freestyle) and for the 1979 Final Trials for the U.S. Pan American Games team.  He represented the U.S. at the 1980 Aschaffenburg International Tournament in West Germany.   He is a member of the Section II Wrestling Hall of Fame and his 1977 SUNY Brockport wrestling team is in the Brockport Hall of Fame.

Jim Scott was a track and cross-country runner at Mont Pleasant High School.  He was the 1959 State 440-yard champion, setting a new State record (48.8), breaking the record of Lou Jones, a future world record holder and Olympic Gold medalist.  Jim finished third, as a junior, in the 1958 State 440-yard run.  He also won the 1959 Sectional 440-yard race in record time.  He won the Utica Scholastic Meet 440-yd. title in record time. He was ranked 15th in the nation for the 440-yd. run by the U.S. Track & Field News (fifth best in the East). He was a member of Mont Pleasant’s 1958 State Championship cross-country team and the school’s undefeated 1959 track and field team.  He won the 1959 Adirondack A.A.U 220-yard and 440-yard championships.  Jim was recruited by Kansas, Navy, Syracuse, Union, Colgate, Alfred and others.  He attended Alfred where he was the 1961 New York State Small College 440-yard champion, winning in record time (49.6).  He also won the 1962 440-yd. State championship.  He ran on Alfred’s sprint relay team that finished third in the 1961 Penn Relays.  His Alfred team finished 11th in the 1960 NCAA University Division Cross-Country Championships, just behind Notre Dame. Alfred also won the State Small College Cross-Country Championship in 1960 and 1961.  

Gary Przybylo was a 1968 basketball All-American at Linton High School, where he played for his father, SCSD Athletic Hall of Famer, Walt Przybylo.  He was also the 1968 Schenectady County Player of the Year and a second team All-State selection. He was a two-time Class “A” League First Team All-Star.  He averaged 24.4 points per game as a senior, with high games of 40 vs. Philip Schuyler and 37 vs. Colonie in a Sectional game (scoring 30 in the second half).  Gary was also the 1968 State high jump champion (6’6”).  He set a new meet record in winning the high jump at the 1968 Schenectady Interscholastic Track Carnival (now the Eddy Meet).  He was the 1968 Arlington Track Relays Outstanding Field Athlete, winning both the high jump and the long jump.  He high jumped 6’7” in a dual meet.  He received an athletic scholarship to Michigan State.  Gary later coached basketball at Schenectady County Community College, Bethlehem Central and Mohonasen, where his team won the 1992 Class “B” Sectional title.  He is a Capital Region/Upstate New York Basketball Hall of Fame member (inaugural class).  He will be inducted posthumously.

The outstanding 1955-56 Nott Terrace High School Basketball Team will be honored with a Legacy Tribute.  The team, coached by Hall of Famer Walt Przybylo, finished 18-1 and won the Class “A” League title and the Section Two-Nine Intersectional championship.  It outscored opponents 76.1 to 53.2.  Its only loss was at Binghamton Central, 78-71.  Nott Terrace later defeated Binghamton Central, 77-52.  The team set a single game scoring record in a 106-47 victory over Draper.  Nott Terrace was led by Ducky Castelle (20.1 points per game) and Athletic Hall of Fame members Murray Melton (17.3 ppg) and Tom Mossey (17.2 ppg).  Castelle and Mossey were Schenectady County Co-Players of the Year.  Mossey later played at Syracuse U. (finished his career as SU’s 13th leading scorer), Castelle later played on Xavier’s 1958 NIT championship team (he was an All-Tournament selection) and Melton played college basketball at Columbia (leading scorer as a sophomore).  This team is considered by many to be the greatest basketball team in Nott Terrace history and one of the best in the history of the Schenectady City School District and Section II. 

Congratulations to 2022 SCSD Athletic Hall of Fame Inductees Casper Wells, Ernie Marshall and Jack Edwards. A dinner and ceremony was held on September 22, 2022. Below are videos honoring each of the inductees and tribute teams.

 Congratulations to the Schenectady City School District Athletic Hall  2022 inductees:  Casper Wells, Jack Edwards and Ernie Marshall.  

 Casper Wells played on three consecutive Big Ten championship baseball teams at Schenectady High School.  The 2000 team was undefeated in the Big Ten.  He was the 2002 Troy Record Player of the Year and a 2002 All-State selection.  Wells was an outstanding pitcher (11-1) on the 2002 Schenectady team that won Sectional and Regional titles, and advanced to the NYSPHSAA final game.  He was the winning pitcher in five post-season games, including the State semi-final.  Wells had a very successful collegiate baseball career at Towson University, where he had a 6-0 pitching record as a junior. He batted .351 with 28 home runs and 115 RBI in his collegiate career.  He was the 2005 Colonial Athletic Association Outstanding Player of the Year and a two-time All-CAA selection.  He was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in 2005 (14th round).  He played for five Major League teams (Tigers, Mariners, A’s, White Sox and Phillies).  Wells had a four-game home run streak with the Mariners in 2011.  He possessed a strong arm from the outfield (21 career assists).  He batted .230, with 25 home runs and 81 RBIs in his MLB career.    He also pitched in two MLB games.  He is a member of the Capital District/ NYS Baseball Hall of Fame. 

 Jack Edwards was a standout athlete at Mont Pleasant High School.  He was a 1959 Scholastic Magazine Football All-American.  He also won the Thom McAn Award.  He played in the 1960 Prep All-American Football Classic in Hershey, PA (attendance 23,500).  He caught four passes for 48 yards in the game (only four completions).  Edwards was also an outstanding track athlete.  He was Sectional Class “A” champion in the 180-yard low hurdles (three years) and Sectional champion in the 120-yard-high hurdles (two years).  He set the Section II Meet 180-yard low hurdles record.  He also set meet records at the Utica Invitational, Rye Invitational and Schenectady Interscholastic Sports Carnival.  He was the 1960 Mont Pleasant AC Athlete of the Year, sharing the award with Linton’s Barry Kramer. He lettered in football at Boston University in 1961.  He is currently the mayor of Pineville, NC. 

 Ernie Marshall was an outstanding sprinter at Mont Pleasant HS in the 1930s.  He ran on two winning teams at the Penn Relays Championships of America.  He won the 100, 220 and 440 at two consecutive New Hampshire Interscholastic Track & Field Championship Meets, setting records in the 220-yards and 440-yards.  Marshall won the 220-yard dash at the 1937 Class “A” Eastern New York Public School Athletic League Championship. A New York Herald Tribune sports columnist compared Marshall to Olympic champion Jesse Owens – “Another Jesse Owens in the Making.”  He was named to the 1938 National All-Scholastic track team, as the best 220-yard runner in scholastic circles.  His 220-yard Sectional record (21.6) stood for 19 years.  His 440-yard Sectional record (49.2) stood for 23 years.  He was a National Junior AAU 440-yard champion.  He was a candidate for the 1940 U.S. Olympic team (Olympics were not held due to World War II).  Marshall will be enshrined posthumously. 

 One of this year’s Legacy Tributes honored the six consecutive undefeated Nott Terrace HS tennis teams (1949 through 1954) that won 77 consecutive matches.  After two victories in 1955 the streak ended at 79 consecutive wins when Nott Terrace dropped a 5-2 decision to Mont Pleasant HS.  The six undefeated teams were coached by Sam Thompson. During the streak Nott Terrace standouts Stewart Stearns (1950), Justus Kusserow (1952), Stan Majerowski (1953), and Floyd Downs (1954) each won a Sectional singles title.  Stearns (1949), Joe Guerra (1951), Majerowski (1952) and Tom Poole (1954) each was a Sectional runner-up.  In 1952 and 1954 the Sectional final featured two Nott Terrace players.  In 1953 Majerowski, Downs, and Myles Bader were three of the final four singles players.  Also, Lou Gwinner and Howie Hubbard won the 1951 Sectional doubles title. 

 A second Legacy Tribute honored the outstanding 1961 Linton HS football team.  This team finished 7-1 (only loss was to powerful Easton HS in Pennsylvania).  Dick Lalla was the head coach.  His varsity assistant was Dom Denio.  The team was led by All-American and future Syracuse captain Ron Oyer.  Paul Bricoccoli, a future quarterback at Rhode Island, and Rit Wilgocki were honorable mention All-Americans.  Linton won the Class “A” League championship and shut out all Section II opponents.  Denio, Oyer, Bricoccoli and team member Mike Meola are all SCSD Athletic Hall of Fame members.